Conference brings communities across Georgia to Douglasville

(Photo Credit: Diane Yancey) For the first time, the City of Douglasville will host the annual GCCMA Fall Conference at the Douglasville Conference Center. The event will bring over 100 attendees from various communities throughout Georgia to the city.

More than 100 city and county managers, administrations, and directors will gather in downtown Douglasville for the 2013 Georgia City-County Management Association (GCCMA) Fall Conference. The 3-day event, held Oct. 23 – 25 at the Douglasville Conference Center, will feature educational seminars and over 25 exhibitors with information and services necessary to run a local government.

“We’ll have sessions on regulatory reforms, such as new GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) accounting principles as they relate to reporting projected retirement expenses and the possible effects of the new Federal Healthcare Reform,” said Georgia Municipal Association Janice Eidson, Conferences & Management Services Director. “In addition, we’ll hear from communities that are successfully managing community revitalization and wastewater treatment projects,” adds Eidson.

Conference attendees will represent communities throughout the State of Georgia as large as Cobb County and as small as the City of Alma with a population just under 4,000. The event is expected to bring tourism dollars to the Douglasville and Douglas County area, with increased spending at local restaurants and businesses. In addition, nearly 80 percent of attendees will stay in Douglasville hotels and nearby visitors commuting to the city each day will also contribute to tourism spending.

“The association hosts two conferences each year for its members. The fall conference location is selected by the GCCMA board, and we are so proud that Douglasville and the Douglasville Conference Center were chosen to host this year’s event,” said City of Douglasville Assistant City Manager Marcia Hampton.

Along with discussing special interest issues, attendees will also have the opportunity to explore the local community by participating in one of three excursions. The City of Douglasville will showcase its public safety and municipal court complex, as well as its municipal golf facility, West Pines Golf Club. One of Douglas County’s most fascinating properties, Foxhall Resort & Sporting Club, will also be showcased. On Wednesday, the first day of the conference, attendees will partake in a “dine-around” of local restaurants, and conclude the evening with a dessert reception on O’Neal Plaza to see Douglasville’s downtown revitalization efforts firsthand.

“City Hall staff has been actively involved in setting up the mobile events and in arranging the dine-around. We are also excited that CITI TV is preparing a great welcome video for our opening event and will be onsite to do interviews with some of our attendees,” said Eidson. “The conference center staff has also been great to work with.”